Ian Solof began coaching the Pilot women distance runners in the fall of 1995 following a standout career as one of UP’s all-time cross country runners.
Solof’s women have won every West Coast Conference cross country title except one, 2001, since 1996. Highlighting the run was sophomore Nicole Ricci’s individual title in 2000 and her advancement to the NCAA championships later that fall. Ricci placed 13th at the West Regional and 56th at the NCAA Championships. In 2001, Ricci was an NCAA provisional qualifier in the 5,000.
Under Coach Solof’s guidance, Nicole Karr single-handedly rewrote the track record books posting school records in the 800, 1,500, 3,000 and 5,000. Karr was ranked among the top 5 fastest in the NCAA in both the 3,000 and 5,000 during her senior year, 1996. She ended her career with an 8th-place finish at the NCAA Championships in the 3,000 garnering her third All-America honor.
Solof’s women have won individual conference titles in four of his eight seasons. The Pilot women have dominated the West Coast Conference in the four of the past five seasons posting winning scores of 23, 25, 20, 20 and 39 in 2002. The team finished in 10th place at the 2002 Regionals, the Pilots best finish since 1994.
During his collegiate career, Solof won the West Coast Conference title as a junior in 1992. He followed that up with All-West Region honors the same fall. Solof was a key member of the 1993 “Dream Team” that was ranked fourth nationally and went undefeated during the regular season including winning the West Region Championship. That team went on to finish 12th at the NCAA Championships.
Solof has continued his running with a stellar post collegiate career. Self-coached, he qualified for the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Trials Marathon. Solof was selected as USA Track and Field of Oregon’s Male distance runner of the year for 2000.
Solof is a 1995 graduate of the University of Portland and a 1990 graduate of Ashland High School.